The Zeke Era Is OVER (for real this time)

You either die as a playoff hero or live long enough to see yourself cut because of a log jam in the outfield…or something like that.

The Blue Jays have granted outfielder Ezequiel Carrera his release this morning. Carrera was designated for assignment at the end of February to make room for Seung-hwan Oh on the 40 man roster. He cleared waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Buffalo before coming back to camp temporarily.

This move lets the Blue Jays save a considerable amount of money, as they’re only on the hook for a small portion of his 2018 salary.

#Bluejays grant Ezequiel Carrera his unconditional release. Cutting him loose now means they only owe him 1/6 of his $1.9 million, gives him a chance to hook on somewhere else. #Jays

It was easy to love Zeke, but there are many younger, cheaper outfield options with a higher ceiling. By keeping him, even in Buffalo, you take away at-bats from young guys like Alford, Pompey, Hernandez, and Smith Jr. You hope he sticks somewhere else, but this winter hasn’t been too kind to any sort of major league talent, much less a fourth outfield type.

We’ll never forget the good times Zeke, like when you somehow hit .303/.343/.515 in the 2016 playoffs even when pretty much the rest of the team forgot how to.

3 Comments |

The move not only allows the club to save some $ but it also allows Zeke the chance to catch on elsewhere. They could have made the same move later and saved the same amount. Good move on the club’s part.